Leda's Biography
by Ledabuhr
Summary: A short history of my character, Leda Savagedawn, a Tauren growing up in Camp Mojache, Feralas.


….They had grown up in the verdant green of Feralas. Surrounded by ferns, dense jungle and a hazy, dream-like mist, two of the Shu'halo were born mere moments apart. That day long ago in Camp Mojache was a joyous one and the whole village celebrated the twin son and daughter of Atok Savagedawn and Serga Wildfield. According to the common myths surrounding twins, they were utter opposites. As they grew and developed distinct personalities it was clear that, unexpectedly, Iyotanka favored learning, meditating, and helping his mother prepare simple potions and salves. Leda on the other hand followed her father around like a shadow. At earlier ages, she helped prepare his take-away lunch for him and as she grew so did her responsibilities. These responsibilities were hers alone, given to her specially from her beloved 'Lomani.' Eventually she would accompany him on his daily hunts, learning to quietly trail their prey, kill it, skin it and properly dress it. At the tender age of 12, her Lomani was her hero and she wanted to be just like him. But it all changed that summer they turned 13.

….The raid had been at nighttime. Coordinated sloppily by the hungry ogres and defended just as sloppily with poor, run down defenses from the last raid. Never had they attacked so close together - it would be the second night in a row that Leda would witness the frantic eyes of her mother and the determined, swift actions of her father. The casualties were marked high the next day. As was usual with ogre raids, the bodies would never be found, the correct rituals never performed and thus their spirits never released back to the earth. Leda had awoken the next morning, her back resting against her brother's rapidly widening one, in the cave reserved for this purpose. The ogres would never look here, so well hidden, where the children and elderly retreated. Their trip back home was always solemn, none knowing which of their loved ones they would ever see again. The circle of devastated, wounded, and mourning had been huddled around a triplet of fires. But the beloved faces of their parents were not among them this time. And when she whirled around, tears fierce in her eyes, it was into the comforting arms of her twin. They had grown up together, yet spent all their time apart in completely different domains. Now they clung to each other, protecting and needing one another's strengths to make up for their own weaknesses.

….It was decided at the emergency village meeting that night by the council that the orphans had to be cared for. It was this decision which chose the paths of the twins of Atok Savagedawn and Serga Wildfield. Leda and Iyotanka were taken in by an old druid, an elder in her own right, and were taught the ways of Cenarius. Ishte immediately began steeping her new charges in druid lore, beliefs, morals and rituals. Iyotanka drank it all up eagerly in his thirst for knowledge, but Leda desperately pushed it all away. Her father had taught her all she needed to know of hunting, killing, skinning and preparing the meat - she didn't need an old druid explaining the ways of the world to her. Leda spent most of her time stalking prey, never killing, just watching, following. And when Ishte would call her for stories of ancient gods and mythic creatures, Leda would lash out. Many a night was spent with raised voices between the two females.

….Eventually it was time for the annual celebration of summer. At the heart of the festivities was the coming of age ritual for young Tauren druids: the Awakening. Her brother had prepared the entire week before, as was expected, with meditation, cultivation techniques, and memorizing passages. Leda, however, blatantly refused to put any amount of effort in. Every time the subject was approached, her responses become more and more rude, insulting, and aggressive. The night before the ritual, when the rest of the village was buzzing with excited, pre-party energy, Leda awaited a private session with the council. After many previous meetings with Ishte, they had decided that her presence in the village no longer kept the delicate balance of their world, but instead upset it. For lashing out and rejecting the ways of her new guardian, Leda was to be banished from the village. She was of age two weeks ago and was now a full member of the village, all that awaited her was this one ceremony. Her refusal to participate had amounted to a refusal of all Ishte had tried to instill within her. An escort was sent with her, back to the tent she shared with her twin to collect her things.

….Iyotanka was informed of the council's decision shortly after completing his part in the ritual. The outrage which had marred Leda's plain face did not appear on that of her brother. He caught up to her on the road to Thousand Needles, out of breath, his features tainted with worry. His pride at becoming a formal druid, his excitement to begin training was all buried beneath his need to protect his sister. Leda's outrage had cooled, she was glad to have her twin, but dismayed he had given up so much for her. She would protect him, his gentle spirit and strong mind with her strong spirit and simple mind.

….It was entirely by accident that first time she shape shifted. They had found a druid trainer wandering through The Barrens which had agreed to train Iyotanka for the necklace Leda got from her Lomani on her 10th birthday. As Iyo learnt the basics of casting, drawing on nature and such, Leda stalked a cougar. She watched it, gripping the battered mace they had found on a Venture Co. corpse yesterday, remembering the wisdoms her father had passed down to her at the tender age of 8. She knew instinctively that the cougar's first reaction would be to charge at her, to claw at her flesh. As she ran at it, mace held high above her head, beautiful in her rage, the fierce yell in her throat morphed into a feral growl. Before she could realize it, her mace was gone, replaced with deadly claws and it wasn't long before a lump of fur cooled at her paws. The adrenaline of the kill stayed with her long after she had drug the body, with her mouth, by its leg, back to their pitiful camp. It was the adrenaline, the power, the animalistic urges which complimented those rejected by her people, which led her to choose her bear form over that of her birth form.

…...It was that day, the day of her first transformation, that Leda swore she would indeed protect her brother, pay for his training with the items scavenged from their enemies, with skins, pelts and furry shoes the traveling foreigners loved so much. She swore to make up for his sacrifice.


End file.
